Automatic frog.



No. 664,499. Patented Has; 25, I900.

C. E. PERRY.

AUTOMATIC FROG.

(Appfication filed Mar. 30, 1900. J (No lludei.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR. W 704M. 2? PW ATTORNEY.

No. 664,499. Patented Dec. 25, I900.

c. E. PERRY.- AUTOMATIC ms.

(Application filed Mar. 30, 1900.]

(No Model.) r 2 Sheets8haet 2.

IQ-"- v Y//////////// 7 7 a" -5 t] W WITNESSES JNVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E- PERRY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PERRY COMBINATION FROG AND SWITCH COMPANY, OF CALIFORNIA.'

AUTOMATIC FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,499, dated December 25, 1900.

A li ati {fl d March 30,1900. Serial No. 10,729. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. PERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of Oalifornia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Frogs, of which the following is a specification.

With the frogs at present in use on railroads it is the general experience for passengersin 1o sleeping-cars passing in the night-time over sidings or other places where there are switches to be disturbed and awakened by the jumping and jolting of the car-wheels over the frogs, which are necessary at these points. l One object of the present invention is to remove these annoyances and to provide a frog over which the cars will run as smoothly as on a continuous rail. A further advantage that will thereby be obtained is the red notion of the wear of the rolling-stock.

Other objects of the invention are to provide means by which the frog will be normally set for the main track, but will be automatically brought into operation to close the side track by the approach and passage thereover of a locomotive, the frog then automatically resetting itself for the main track when the train has passed; also, to provide an arrangement of this character which shall be adapted for wheels of all depths of flanges. It is well known that owing to the wear upon the tread of the wheels the flanges thereof continually increase in depth as the wheels are used, and one object of this invention is to provide means whereby the aboveautomatic arrangement shall be equally applicable to wheels having flanges of all depths within the limits found on railroads.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts for the above ends hereinafter fully specified, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved frog and of the parts of the two tracks adjacent thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line A A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thetrack proper on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line B B of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line C O of Fig. 1. Fig.

6 is asection on the line D D of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail showing a modification; and Fig. 8 is a vertical section on the line E E of Fig. 3, showing a detail.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the railway-ties, b the rails of the main track, and c the rails of the side track, mounted upon said ties. The rails 11 c of the tracks which cross eachother are cut away at the point of crossing in the usual manner, and the ends of said rails rest upon chairs (1, secured upon the end of a plate e. Each chair (1 has two stops f, and the flanges g of the rails and of the frog are received in the recesses h in said stops. The plate 6 has a boss 11; which is socketed, as shown atj, to receive the step of a plate Z, said plate Zhaving extensions m, which are riveted to the flanges of a frog 'n. Said frog n is thus pivotally mounted on said 70 boss '5. The step It is secured in position in said boss by means of a nut 0 upon a threaded extension 1) of said step. The ends of the swinging frog move between the two stops f of the chairs d, said frog in its limiting positions alining either with one or with the other of the inner rails b c. The frog 1: is addi tionally supported upon the plate e by means of bearin gs q, secured upon said plate 6. The frog 'lt is moved from one to the other of its limiting positions automatically upon the approach of a train by the following mechanism: To the outer rail of each track and on the inner side of the rail is pivoted aleverr. Said lever r is pivotally secured at one end between a chair 8 and the rail by a bolt 15, a fish-plate 10 being interposed between the le- Vera" and theweb of the rail. The free end of the lever r is normally pressed upward by means of a spring 4), and said free end is 0 gradually sloped upward from the end, so that the flange of the first wheel of an ap proaching train riding on said sloping end will depress said lever against the action of said spring 1;. The free end of the lever r is 5 grooved on its upper surface, as shown at 9,

to form a guide for the advancing flange of the Wheel. The depression of said lever will thereby also depress a link L0 and an arm w, rocking on a shaft y, extending below the ties and mounted in bearings a, secured in suitable recesses in the under side of said ties.

The rocking of the shaft y will, by means of an arm 1, extending upwardly from said shaft y, move outwardly a link 2, extending from the end of said arm 1 to the frog n, and will thus move said frog from its former limiting position of vibration to the other limiting position thereof. As soon as the train has gone over the frog, the spring 1; will raise the lever 4", thereby shifting said frog back to its original position. It will be understood that said spring is set beneath the lever attached to the side track, so that the frog will normally be set so that the main track isclosed, and said frog will only be moved over and close the side track upon the arrival of a train upon said side track. It is also understood that, as shown in the drawings, two levers r are arranged for each track, so that the frog is operated in whichever direction a train arrives thereat. Inasmuch as the spring will normally close the main track except upon the arrival of a train upon the side track, there is theoretically no need of levers r, attached to the outer rails of the main track; yet to prevent all possibility of accident from the failure of the springs '11 to operate, levers r are attached to the main track also.

'For the purpose of guiding the levers in their Vertical movement chairs 3 are secured to the ties, having upwardly-extending pieces 4, which confine the levers in their proper position.

It is well known that the flanges of locomotive-wheels increase in depth by use, owing to the wear of the tread of the wheel. It is therefore necessary to make provision for different depths of flanges. Otherwise an extra deep flange would cause the weight of the engine to be thrown upon the lever r and shear off the bolt 6. This provision I make by cutting away the top of the lever r over its pivot, as shown at 6 in Fig. 5. shown in Fig. 7 this is accomplished by causing the bolt i to work in a slotted bearing 7, said bolt being supported on a-rubber block 8, which block will yield to the pressure of a flange of unusual depth passing over the top of the lever 'r and will permit the Wheel to pass without raising the wheel off the rail.

If, through wear, the flange of the wheel is In the modification unusually deep or the rail is considerably worn, the motion of the lever 1' will be greater than with new wheels ora new rail; but said movement is always limited by one of the stopsf acting against the frog n. To avoid breakage under these circumstances, the connection of the link 2 with the frog n is made by means of a slotted plate 11, secured to the frog n, 'a rubber block 12 being interposed between the end of said slot and the pivot 13 of said connection.

I claim 1. In an automatic railway-frog, the combination with a swinging frog, of verticallyswinging levers extending alongside of and parallel with the inner side of the outer rail of each track, said rails being uniform in construction with the adjoining rails of the track, the levers by the side of each track extending in opposite directions from their pivots, and away from each other from their pivots, rock-shafts y extending parallel with the respective tracks, and operatively connected with the frog to swing the same, arms on said rock-shafts, and links connecting said levers with said arms, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic railway-frog, the combination with a swinging frog, of verticallyswinging levers extending alongside of and parallel with the inner side of the outer rail of each track, said rails being uniform in construction with the adjoining rails of the track, the levers by the side of each track extending in opposite directions from their pivots and away from each other from their pivots, said levers having their free end grooved at the top to form guides for the advancing flange of the wheel, rock-shafts y extending parallel with the respective tracks, and operatively connected with the frog to swing the same, arms on said rock-shafts, and links connecting said levers with said arms substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

O. E. PERRY. Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, H. Dow. 

